Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said Padmavati will not be released in Bihar till the film's director clarifies his stand on the controversy, his remarks coming on a day the Supreme Court, hearing a petition relating to the movie, said "persons holding public office" should not comment on matters pending before the censor board.

"...When the matter is pending for CBFC's (Central Board of Film Certification's) consideration, how can persons holding public office comment on whether CBFC should issue a certificate or not?" the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed.

Nitish, however, declared that queen Padmavati (played by Deepika Padukone in the film) "should not have been made to dance in the movie".

"Controversy is raging over the film. The director (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) and other people associated with it should clarify their stand on it. We will not allow its release in Bihar till the explanations arrive," Nitish said.

Earlier, BJP MLA from Chhatapur Niraj Kumar Singh "Bablu" had submitted a memorandum to Nitish against the film.

Nitish's decision surprised even those who have been associated with him for decades.

"Taking a stand on Padmavati after weeks of protests, when the issue is being deliberated by the Supreme Court and the censor board, and when a few states have already imposed a ban on the movie, makes a tall leader like Nitish fall behind Vasundhara Raje, Yogi Adityanath, Vijay Rupani, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others," a senior leader of Nitish's JDU said.

Others tagged his decision with caste appeasement, law and order, and donning a tinge of saffron to prove that he is a firm part of the BJP-led NDA.

Padmavati was to release in India on December 1, but has been postponed. It has, however, got permission to release in the United Kingdom.